Abusive
by Ymir Eberhardt
Summary: (Yuugi x Parsee Oneshot) She never meant to hit her.


"I can't believe you actually hit her."

In all my years of experience, one would think that I'd deduce that hanging out with Suika in a bar at happy hour for relationship consolation isn't the best idea. I mean, Suika wouldn't know a long-term relationship if it hit her in the face. Yet I do it every time Parsee and I have any sort of fight. Even though she's unstable, I trust Suika with my life, and it's nice to have her listening ears even if they aren't entirely sober.

"You know how I get when I'm angry," I reply, swirling my third dish of sake around and watching it sway.

"Well, shit, Yuugi. If you can't rein yourself in, I doubt you'll find any sort of commitment you're looking for." It baffles me that she continues to buy drinks even with the wine worm she has in her gourd. She's drinking red wine, too, which is odd. I wonder if she's trying to win someone of higher class over.

"Oh, like _you_ could ever 'rein yourself in,'" I retort, taking a generous swig of sake. "Practice what you preach, Suika."

"Hey, I'm not..." Her voice falters, and she freezes, looking somewhere behind me. "Duck down, Yuugi, or she'll see you."

"Who?" I ask a little too loudly.

She pushes me under the bar. "Parsee's here!" she hisses.

I furrow my brows. "_Parsee_? What the fuck is she doing in an oni bar?"

"Probably looking for you! Now shut up!"

I hug my knees and shut up. I don't like hiding, even though I can be pretty good at it; I have a height advantage, after all. But I like people to notice me. And the idea of Parsee entering the bar and looking for me makes my heart skip a beat. It means she still cares, even after last night...

I didn't want to hit her. I had tried so hard to keep my cool, to not overreact on anything, but the argument had just blown up too large too fast, and I couldn't control myself. I couldn't see her face from my angle, but I'm sure she still has the same welt my hand left on her cheek.

"Oh, hello, Suika," Parsee is saying. She sits in my seat, adjusting herself a little and crossing her legs like a lady. "Didn't expect to see you here."

Suika snorts and coughs, probably spitting some of her wine out by the way Parsee says, "Eww..."

"Did you really expect me not to be here? I swear, Pars, this bar is like my second home."

"I thought the Hakurei Shrine was your second home."

Suika laughs. "That's just where I get free food. Here, I get free drinks for being of my rank. HEY, ISHI!" she suddenly yells at the bartender. "GIMME A WARM SAKE FOR THE PRETTY LADY, YEAH?!"

"Oh, I don't want any-"

"If you're not here to drink, what're you here for?" Suika asks.

She sighs. "I don't know...part of me was hoping to run into Yuugi, but..." She inches closer to Suika. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Depends on the secret," Suika replies. "I don't like them, but if it means something to you..."

"I'm scared of Yuugi," Parsee says in a small voice.

Suika kicks me under the table, and I bite my lip to keep from yelling. I wonder if she intended to do that, or if she's just jumpy. "She's not scary," Suika says.

"Well, you're an oni!" Parsee squeaks. "You're used to her...her..."

"Brashness? Random acts of violence?" Suika pats Parsee's leg, and I cringe a little. I wish she wasn't so physical with my woman. "I've known her for over a millennium, Parsee. I'm used to it. She's actually pretty sweet once you get to know her and can handle her rough edges."

"Did you see what she did to my face?"

I can see Suika's hair sway by her hips, clearly shaking her head vigorously. Parsee moves her hands up to where I can't see them, and Suika inhales sharply.

"Damn. Was that a slap or a punch?"

"I don't remember. It all happened so quickly...I just don't want her to do it again. It hurts to blink."

Suika reaches over to touch Parsee's face, and the hashihime cries out a little in response.

"What did you do to make her so angry?"

Parsee folded her hands in her lap and twiddled her thumbs. "I threw out her alcohol and told her that if she didn't stop drinking, I'd leave."

"And she hit you because of that?"

"No. She got angry because I dumped her stash in her bedroom down the sink. I told her that you were a bad influence on her drinking problems, and she snapped."

Suika patted Parsee's back. "It's true. I'm a bad influence."

"Wait, why am I talking to you, anyway?" Parsee asks suddenly, recoiling from her touch. "You're an alcoholic, too!"

"I'm not an alcoholic," Suika protests. "I'm a drunk, as is Yuugi. Alcoholics go to meetings."

Parsee laughs a little. "Still. I think I'm ending it with her. She seems so much happier with you."

"If you really care about her, Pars, I wouldn't leave her. She...needs some stability in her life. And she loves you."

Parsee gestures upward, probably at her face. "Obviously not enough."

At this point, I'm tired of sitting under the bar. I crawl out and come up behind Parsee, tapping her on the shoulder. "Hey."

Parsee jumps and looks at me. She's got a decent black eye, her left eye barely opening, and a welt over her cheekbone where my palm made contact with her skin. It hurts me almost more than I'd expect it to hurt her to see her like this.

"How long have you been here, Yuugi?" Parsee asks faintly, backing away as if I'd attack her.

I'm starting to notice that we're drawing a crowd, probably because two of the most powerful oni in the underground are being loud next to a frail hashihime. I try to ignore them; Parsee's my focus at the moment. "Long enough. Why can't you tell me these things?"

"B-because I was afraid you'd get mad again!" Parsee exclaims, her voice rising in pitch. "I can't put my own life in danger for you!"

Before I can respond, she bolts out of the bar.

I stand there for a while, almost in shock. I feel my legs give out beneath me, and I'm on the floor. The last thing I hear is Suika shouting, "SOMEONE GET A MEDIC!"

And the last thing I think is, "If I can't make her happy and feel safe, I don't even want the help anymore."


End file.
